Celebrating 3 with a Power Breakfast: Wholegrain Porridge with Goji Berries and Cashew Nuts

7:45 AM - Weimar: I've just dropped Soeren off at school and am on my way to work. I turn up the radio as my favorite band, Coldplay rock to the sounds of "Viva La Vida". My usual trip to work always cheers me up. It's the same everyday but everyday I discover something new. At this hour the streets of Weimar are already alive and wide awake.

This is a bicycle town and regardless of the weather there are always a multitude of bicycles criss-crossing their way through their separate bicycle paths. I love watching the different characters pedaling away to their destinations.

A small group of school boys with their stylish BMX bikes race down the paths, laughing and joking, there is that business man, with his fine suit and tie fluttering in the crisp air, here comes that guy who probably chain smokes all day with his trusted cigarette tucked between the corner of his mouth and behind me I see that pimped up chick who probably has been teleported from the 80's! Finally my favorite of the day a mother with her four kids cross the street in front of me. She pedals her bike, with one of the younger ones sitting in the seat behind her, pulling a trailer with a further two toddlers, next to her, her eldest proudly perched on his own bike. It reminds me of a family of ducks crossing the street.

Weimar is in full swing already. I wonder how they all start their day. Are they the types to jump into the shower and rush out or do they prefer a nice long breakfast?

I am the type who enjoys the start of the day with a good power breakfast and some time with my family before we head off to our days. Before Soeren came along I was not like that though. Tom and I would enjoy a breakfast but it was a quick yogurt or a dry piece of toast with coffee. By mid-morning though our stomachs would be grumbling with us and while at work we grabbed the next nearest filling food - cookies, sweet buns etc.

With Soeren came also a whole new look into our nutrition and eating habits. If we were going to preach good eating habits we had to live by them too. Today we sit down together and enjoy a healthy and filling breakfast. A breakfast that will not have us craving food within an hour, instead keep us filled till lunch time and give us enough energy to tackle our hectic school or work schedule.

I do not have to go into the fact that breakfast is the most important meal of the day - we all know that. There is a great proverb here in Germany, which touches the right note on how one should set their meals throughout the day:

"Eat like a king in the morning, a prince in the afternoon and like a beggar in the evenings."

With this is mind we orient ourselves to a good big breakfast in the mornings, a light healthy lunch and a small dinner. It works!

My favorite breakfast is a mixture of organic wholegrain - rye, barley, spelt and oat flakes, cooked in milk until soft then sweetened with maple syrup and spiced with a touch of cinnamon. If using dried fruit I normally add them in the milk while cooking the flakes, which causes them to plump up and become juicy. Finally add a handful of nuts and some additional milk. All you now need is a spoon!

What's For Lunch, Honey? is celebrating it's 3rd anniversary. I started this humble blog in February 2006, with this first post. Since then there was no stopping me! In three years I learned how to fight my way through HTML and CSS jungle, learned what DoF and Bouquet meant in photography, dared to become a baker, experimented with unorthodox tastes and played around with flavor combinations. It's been a great fun-filled path.

Almost 500 posts, 1.4 million visitors and a few exciting mentions and awards later I am here today to say thank you to you! Without you motivating me through each post I am sure this space would not be so full of life as it is today. These three years have given me not only so much knowledge and insight into the Foodie world but also has bestowed upon me great friendships too. Thank you for making What's For Lunch, Honey? a place full of pizzazz, fun and life!

Many celebrate with cake but I would like you to join me for a power breakfast of a different type. After featuring Goji Berries as the latest in my Food Guide, I thought I would show you one of my favorite ways to enjoy these power foods. I normally prepare the basic porridge the night before so the flakes soak up the milk and flavors overnight. In the morning I add a splash of warm milk, cashews and if desired fresh fruit.

You can add any type of dried or fresh fruits and nuts that takes up your fancy. We love our goji berries and cashews in this porridge as the flavors just fit together so perfectly. Only sweetened with a dash of maple syrup this makes it a perfect alternative to other pre-packaged and sweetened cereals. The multi-grain porridge keeps us satisfied and our energy at a balanced level throughout the morning. I normally round up my breakfast with half a grapefruit and a cup of coffee. Ready to face the day with such a fantastic start!

Join me this whole week as I celebrate 3 years What's For Lunch, Honey? with cake and ice-cream and more cake! You are all invited - so make sure you'll be there!

As for the breakfast, that looks like a great way to start the day. I'm always looking for something new and healthy to add to my morning routine, because my instincts tend to steer me towards desserts that pretend to be breakfast, lol--as if I need two desserts a day!

Count me in! Congratulations Meeta *hugs* Its wonderful to see how you've nurtured your blog over the last 3 years, you are always an inspiration! All the awards and mentions have just started, I'm sure there's lots more in store for you :)

Happy 3rdy year to your wonderful blog Meeta.I have never known a blogger who as achieved so much especially in photography. Every tome your pictures leave me speechlees. Like today's picture, how much carefully you have taken the picture. Beautiful.Wish I was like you. I just make thing and just takefew clicks a fast.Wishing you many many more years of wonderull bloggin.

thanks everyone for your wonderful wishes. the best thing is i celebrate with you. it makes me really smile that you all enjoy WFLH - some of you have been with be right from the beginning. i look forward to sharing many more posts with you! hugs!

Hi, MeetaI found your blog a couple of weeks ago, and I fell in love with it from the second I opened it uo. Your bright photos and healthy choices make us all want to go prepare something in the kitchen and be smarter about the food choices.Thanks for being a blogger and allowing us to peek into your food world.I've already tried some of your recipes, like the tropical fruit salad and it's delicious.

Meeta congratulations on your 3rd anniversary!! I just got a pack of goji berries from the store... Now I know what to do with them !!!! I have been wondering about them though... Lovely pics and Hugs!!

Meeta congratulations on your 3rd anniversary!! I just got a pack of goji berries from the store... Now I know what to do with them !!!! I have been wondering about them though... Lovely pics and Hugs!!

your post today made such a huge difference.....it just reminded me that i missed my first aniversary of my blog...can u believe that....thanks for such wonderful posts and keep doing good work....Congratulations for ur 3rd year !

a question: do you think you could reheat the porridge after making it? I have been looking for breakfast options I can prepare one day and then reheat for another day or two to save time and have been seeing lots of tasty porridge recipes lately. Do you think they would work over a few days?

Megan, I would not advice you to make this more that a night ahead. It becomes fairly solid if kept any longer and the flakes loose their texture. To have it warm the next morning, I normally heat up some milk in the microwave and mix it into the porridge. Works well. Reheating the porridge entirely once again causes it to become too soft and mushy. I prefer having a bit of texture and bite to the porridge - however if you prefer it softer than by all means do try it.

Ack this post has been open for days - did I actually remember to come and say Happy Birthday? I would really, really like to try this, but seriously have no idea where I would get that cereal. Any online ordering sources you can recommend?

misssed trhis post, as I was away from the the blogging world that week. Hearty Congratulations on completing your 3rd year!It is always a pleasure to be here. Your pictures are much more than just beautiful, they transmit a lot of positive engery, maybe it is also the stories you write with them! :)

Thank you for visiting What's For Lunch, Honey? and taking time to browse through my recipes, listen to my ramblings and enjoy my photographs. I appreciate all your comments, feedback and input. I will answer your questions to my best knowledge and respond to your comments as soon as possible.

In the meantime I hope you enjoy your stay here and that I was able to make this an experience for your senses.

Hello, I am Meeta a freelance food photographer, stylist and writer living in the cuturally rich city of Weimar, Germany with my husband and our son, where I enjoy preparing multi-cultural home cooked meals with fresh organic ingredients. What's for lunch, Honey? is my award winning food blog where I combine my love for food with my love for photography and styling...